USGS to digitize documents dating back 120 years

Encore presentation, originally aired Oct. 15, 2009 — The U.S. Geological Survey maintains thousands of monitoring sites, stream gauges and programs that study wildlife disease. And all the data that these sites collect must be available to more than 8,000 scientists around the country.

That data accessibility job falls on the shoulders of Kevin Gallagher, the USGS chief information officer.

Gallagher says part of his role is to oversee the technology that runs 22 libraries around the country.

Gallagher is one of the few CIOs who has both an external and internal role when it comes to technology planning and programs.

Advertisement

He also must support field and satellite offices with technology, employees who work in the field and must transmit data back to headquarters, and work the Interior Department CIO on agencywide initiatives.

Gallagher says USGS also is playing a big role with data.gov in providing information and helping to work on standards.